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By Martin Graham | 28th Mar 2023
FIFA have increased the compensation paid to clubs that release players for the men’s FIFA World Cup by nearly 70%, meaning clubs will now receive between $355 million for the 2026 and 2030 tournaments, the European Club Association (ECA) and the global football governing body said on Monday.
The Club Benefits Programme gifts clubs a share of national team competition revenues in return for them to release players for the global showpiece. This cash benefit also protects the clubs in case their players sustain injuries while on international duty.
The previous amount put in place for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups was $209m. A renewed memorandum of understanding was signed Monday at the ECA general assembly in Budapest, Hungary.
FIFA to play clubs more for releasing players to go on national duty
“We are delighted to have signed this landmark agreement,” ECA chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi said.
“The MoU recognizes the central role of clubs in football globally and ensures that they are properly represented in decision making around issues which affect them.”
Earlier this month, FIFA announced a 32-team Club World Cup will be played every four years from June 2025, replacing the usual yearly-format that featured seven teams.
That decision was met with opposition from leagues such as Spain’s LaLiga but the MoU will now have both FIFA and the ECA working together on its various sporting and commercial aspects for the 2025 edition.
“FIFA and ECA will also now establish closer working practices on a future new Club World Cup… and working together on future editions including on potential structures for managing the commercial rights going forward.”
FIFA also announced a newly planned international calendar that president Gianni Infantino said had the full support of the ECA.
“To have the new International Match Calendar endorsed by ECA provides the necessary balance between club and national team football,” Infantino said.
“We have exciting projects ahead, including the new FIFA Club World Cup in 2025 and the new FIFA women’s Club World Cup. A close collaboration with clubs in Europe, and the rest of the world, will be essential for the success of those events.”
FIFA received strong criticism for their decision to host the previously concluded 2022 World Cup in Qatar; the first of its kind in the Middle East and more interestingly, the first of its kind in the winter season.
As FIFA continue to make several changes to the international game, they will no doubt face even more criticism and scrutiny from fans, leagues and several bodies alike.
Martin Graham is an MFF sports writer
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